Roxton Family Saga Book 5: Henri-Antoine and Lisa’s Happily Ever After

London, 1786. Lord Henri-Antoine has returned from the Grand Tour to a life of privilege and excess. A vast inheritance allows him every indulgence, free from responsibility. Yet, Henri-Antoine maintains a well-ordered existence, going to great lengths to conceal an affliction few understand and many fear.
Miss Lisa Crisp is a penniless orphan who relies on the charity of relatives to keep her from the poorhouse. Intelligent and unflappable, Lisa will not allow poverty to define her. She leads a useful life working among the sick poor.
Under startling circumstances, Henri-Antoine and Lisa meet. There is instant attraction. When they find themselves attending the same wedding in the country, Henri-Antoine offers Lisa a scandalous proposition, one she should refuse but yearns to accept. Following her heart could ruin them both.A standalone romantic adventure set against the backdrop of Treat, ancestral home of the dukes of Roxton. SATYR’S SON will delight fans of the series with cameos by many beloved characters, while new readers will discover the myriad pleasures and glittering aristocratic world of the Roxton family through the fresh eyes of newcomer Lisa Crisp. SATYR’S SON is a Cinderella story with a heartwarming Happily Ever After.

‘LISA CRISP, sir,” she stated, and came away from the desk to finally find her manners and bob a curtsy, gaze respectfully lowered to the embroidered front of his waistcoat.

“I know your name, Miss Crisp. I asked for your age.”

This brought her eyes up to his face, puzzled. “Why would you want to know my age, sir?”

He was taken aback she would question him. “Why would you not want to tell me?”

“I’ve no particular reason for withholding it from you. It’s just—It’s a rather mundane question—coming from you.”

“Mundane? Coming from me? What question were you expecting me to ask?”

She smiled at his frown, and relaxed a little. Gone was the fixed stare, replaced by a look of puzzlement which made him appear far more approachable.

“I’d no particular question in mind,” she responded, and unable to stop herself because she had flustered him, added teasingly, “Perhaps you’ll think of one before you leave?”

“Think of one…?”

Her directness disconcerted him. He had wanted this interview to be short. He had gone to considerable trouble to find her with the limited information Jack had given him, and now he wished to thank her for her help in his hour of need, and be on his way. But the short speech of thanks that was on the tip of his tongue vanished like a popped soap bubble the moment he entered the room and saw her standing by the desk. Instead, he had asked her for her age. Why in God’s name? And she had the impertinence not to tell him. He needed to regain the initiative at once, before she startled him again. He should not have been surprised when she again overthrew his intent, but he was.

“Miss Crisp, I had hoped to conduct this conversation in my carriage, so as not to attract any undue attention to either of us.”

“But that must be an impossible task for you, surely?”

“Impossible? Why?”

Lisa blinked at him and such was her surprise that she took a step closer, wondering if he was being ironic. She had to ask the question.

“Are you funning with me, sir?”

Now he was not only disconcerted but uncomfortable. He set his jaw and the stare returned.

“I assure you, Miss Crisp, that I do not fun—with anyone.”

“Do you not? Not at all?”

Irritated, he wondered if she were simple. But one look in her blue eyes and he knew she was sincere in her incredulity. He did not know whether to be annoyed or flattered.

“Tell me, Miss Crisp,” he purred. “Why would I find it an impossible task not to attract attention?”

Lisa gulped. “You want me to tell you?”

“I do.”

“Very well. If I must. But I do not doubt for a moment you know the answer.”

“I do not. And I hope your answer, unlike my question, will not be mundane.”

Lisa’s blue eyes sparked and she smiled.

“Well?” he demanded when she did not give him an immediate response.

“Oh! So you truly do want me to tell you?”

When his gaze shot to the bare ceiling and then back at her and he remained silent and expectant, she lost her smile and felt the heat rise in her throat. There was nothing for it. She would have to tell him.

“Because you are exceedingly handsome, so it stands to reason you attract an audience wherever you go.”

The silence stretched between them and then he nodded gravely. The only sign that he was in anyway embarrassed by her honest appraisal was the sudden color in his lean cheeks.

“So I am told. But I come from a family of exceptional beauty. I am its thorn.”

Lisa gasped and then giggled, thinking his response absurd. Not that she disbelieved him, she just did not believe he could be a thorn in any family. She quickly put a hand to her mouth for her impolite response, but could not stop her shoulders from shaking.

Lisa nodded, quickly wiped her moist eyes dry and pressed her lips together before taking a breath and saying with a tremble, “I meant no disrespect, sir. It’s just that you are no thorn, however beautiful the rest of your family members.”

He threw up a gloved hand in dismissal of her frank appraisal.

“You might think so. No doubt in these heady environs, anyone with two working eyes and a straight back is considered a rose worthy of oils.”

Lisa lost her smile, and her blue eyes clouded, all humor extinguished at his jibe. Perhaps he had meant it as a throwaway comment to hide his embarrassment at being complimented for his good looks. Regardless, that gave him no excuse to be so disparaging of others, and his barb stung.

“Perhaps I was wrong,” she said quietly but firmly. “Perhaps you are a thorn. True beauty does not wear a mask. It shines bright from the heart—and regardless of where that heart resides on the compass point.” She bobbed a curtsy. “I am glad to see you looking so well after your recent seizure, sir. Now you must excuse me. I am wanted elsewhere.”

Lucinda is giving away an ebook (epub ormobi) of Satyr’s Son.

To have a chance to win just comment below with the answer to this question…

Lord Henri-Antoine comes from a family of exceptional beauty. But he considers himself a what? in the family.

(answer can be found in the excerpt)

~~Reviewed by AnnMarie~~

Satyr’s Son is the fifth book in the Roxton Family Saga by Lucinda Brant. It can easily be read as a stand-alone story, but it can only enhance your enjoyment of it if you have read the others.

Henri-Antoine is an aristocrat who in his own words is ‘vulgarly wealthy’. He is privileged and powerful, but also suffers from an affliction that he believes will stop him from ever finding love.

Lisa Crisp is an orphan reluctantly taken in by her aunt and uncle with the former treating Lisa more like a servant than a family member. She also lives with her two female cousins who lord it over her. Are you thinking Cinderella yet?

I hope you are because from the minute Lisa and Henri-Antoine meet, despite trials and tribulations they are on course for a happy ever after to rival dear Cinderella’s.

With each book I have read in this series I have wondered how the author could possibly meet the same standard with the next book she writes. Happily every time a new book is brought out, it is just as fabulous as the one before, in fact, I think they just keep getting better and better. Henri-Antoine and Lisa’s story is beautiful. Such an emotional story where my heart broke at times for the bumps they hit on the way to their happy ever after. Henri-Antoine can come across as a rude, nasty person, but when you realise the depth of his heart and the reasons behind why he can be nasty you can’t help but love him. Lisa is light to his shade and despite their different social standing, nothing can keep them apart! Along with the beautiful love story told, another thing I love about this author’s books is the attention to detail. Everything from the clothes the people wear, the places they visit, to the languages they speak, it’s obvious that a lot of research has been done. I love that I can learn things as well as enjoy a fabulous romance!

I wholeheartedly recommend this book and all the others in the series, they are all a delight to read.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers’ copy of this book.

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About Lucinda Brant

Lucinda Brant is a NY Times, USA Today, & Audible bestselling author of award-winning Georgian historical romances and mysteries. Her novels are “smart, witty, historical adventures full of heartfelt drama with a happily ever after”. Lucinda’s audiobooks are performed by renowned British actor Alex Wyndham and international voice artist Marian Hussey.

A university trained historian and former history and geography teacher at a boarding school for young ladies, Lucinda now devotes her days to full-time writing, drinks too much coffee, and is addicted to Pinterest (where you can delve into the real history in her books).